Powerful quake hits New Zealand's South Island, two dead

[caption id=“attachment_3104218” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] A powerful earthquake rocked New Zealand on Monday, triggering landslides and a small tsunami. It cracked apart roads and homes and left two people dead, but largely spared the country the devastation it saw five years ago when a deadly quake had struck the same region. Getty images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_3104234” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] The quake of magnitude 7.8, caused damage in Waiau in Canterbury (above: Waiau Lodge Hotel). It was also strongly felt in Wellington, the capital and in the city of Christchurch. Residents said the shaking went on for about three minutes. Getty images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_3104232” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] Near the epicenter, it opened up snaking fissures in roads. New Zealand, being on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called “Ring of Fire”, experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year. Reuters[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_3104230” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] The quake also forced hundreds of tourists onto the streets as hotels were evacuated. According to the police, it temporarily knocked out New Zealand’s emergency call number, 111, too. Getty images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_3104228” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] For residents living through the tremor, particularly those who survived the Christchurch disaster, it was a terrifying experience. In Wellington, it collapsed a ferry loading ramp, broke windows and caused items to fall from shelves. Getty images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_3104226” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] A railway line was damaged by an earthquake, near Tirohanga stream on the South Island. Conditions still remained treacherous on late Monday with officials urging evacuations after debris blocked the Clarence River, and then shifted to release a “wall of water” downstream. Reuters[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_3104222” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] Although, few casualties were reported, unlike the previous quake, as Monday’s disaster was deeper and of a lower frequency. This saw the energy released more slowly over a longer period, as it travelled in a “rolling” motion along the fault line. Getty images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_3104220” align=“alignnone” width=“940”] The earthquake that struck South Island after midnight, left rescuers scrambling to reach Kaikoura, which had no telecommunications and was isolated by landslips. Forecasters predicted wild weather, including strong winds, overnight, hampering rescue efforts. Getty images[/caption]